backend

We began backend to share and critically discuss experiences, opinions, and ideas about systemic issues that have a huge impact on artist-led organisations but often go publicly unacknowledged. backend was a series of conversations held in four locations around the U.K. (Liverpool, Glasgow, Wakefield, and London) highlighting the lack of accountability in artist-led organisations. The events were led by facilitators and contributors whose research, work, and life experiences spoke directly to key issues in artist-led organisations, including inequality, structural racism, harassment, accessibility, and transphobia. Each site focused on a specific theme, and the facilitators led discussions on the logistics and processes of how artist-led organisations work, and on actions that artist-led organisations can take to build an infrastructure that holds our community accountable. The aim of these events was to bring people who run, work with, and patron artist-led organisations together to engage in critical introspective conversations, and to collaboratively develop a “code of conduct” to which we can all subscribe and be held accountable.  

It has been, and continues to be, fundamental to the success and sustainability of backend that it is collaboratively devised with all of the organisations, facilitators, contributors, and participants, and that its outcomes are tangible and action-based. 12ø received funding to organise the four conversations from the Arts Council of England and Artsquest, and the funds were used to cover fees and travel costs for facilitators at each session. 

This project has been developed so far through generous conversations, advice and feedback from: